The Best Socket Organizers Keep Your Tools Where You Need Them

Simple, classic, and effective, that's all you need to know about this six-piece socket tray organizer set from OEMTOOLS. A basic tray with posts sticking out of it, long posts for your deep sockets, and short for your normal-size sockets. The set offers 1/2-, 3/8-, and 1/4-inch drive socket trays, with bright green for your SAE sockets and black for your metric ones, making sure that you know which tray you want even before you look at the numbers.

The socket sizes are printed on the ends of each post, on an angle so that they're easy to see when you pull open your drawer or open your toolbox. These are ideal for putting in the deep drawers of your toolbox so that your sockets are in their place and ready to go each time, while the wide base makes sure that they don't tip over, even if you slam that drawer after dealing with a particularly painful bolt.

Tired of having to twist your sockets to line up the drive hole and the socket rail slot? This set means you don't have to anymore, because the clips swivel to let you put a socket on in any position you want. Not only can it make replacing your sockets easier, it means that you can line up the size markings on all of them, no longer having to stare in aggravation at socket markings that are out of place and out of view.

The set holds up to 80 sockets, including all three drive sizes. Each clip is also fitted with a spring-loaded ball bearing to help keep your sockets in place if you carry the rail in a portable toolbox, while mounting holes let you permanently mount the kit to your workbench or larger toolbox. The clips can be removed so you don't have any empty ones, or you can put different drive sizes on the same rail for your commonly used sockets.

If you're a home mechanic, working on your driveway instead of inside a garage next to your toolbox, walking back and forth with one or two sockets at a time is a hassle. This set from Olsa tools lets you become portable with your sockets, while still giving you a place to keep them when they're on the bench. This set can hold up to 58 sockets thanks to removable clips. If you don't have enough to fill each holder, you can remove the extras.

Each socket clip has a ball bearing that is spring-loaded to keep each socket in place. Pick up the socket rail and bring the whole thing over to the vehicle and keep everything close at hand. Or use the mounting holes to attach them to a workbench or toolbox and you'll always know where they are. You can even put multiple size drive clips on the same rail for a complete car kit.

Here's a socket rail set from Auwey that lets you keep all of your sockets on one convenient tray. Each tray can hold up to 80 sockets, with (26) 1/4-, (30) 3/8-, and (48) 1/2-inch drive socket holders, all mounted in four sliding rows on one large tray with a convenient handle for mounting or for transport. Ball-bearings hold your sockets in place, and the flat-mounting tray lets you store it in your toolbox drawer in one of the shallow drawers, or even mounted on a pegboard.

With this large-scale socket solution, you won't need multiple different rails for your different drive sockets, or have your deep and shallow sockets in different places. The tray is constructed from steel for durability with ABS plastic clips, and two colors let you sort metric and SAE sizes separately—although the large size means you can put them all on one tray if needed.

Holding your sockets on their side instead of standing up can take up much less space in your drawer. It also makes room for an easy-carry handle so that you can grab your sockets and go, meaning that they are wherever you need them to be. While the deep and shallow sockets can just drop into their slots on the tray, the tray itself uses neodymium rare earth magnets to hold everything in place as you walk around and transport them.

Those magnets will also hold the tray in place as you work, letting you keep your sockets in your work area for easy access. Available in 1/2-, 3/8-, and 1/4-drive sizes, though the trays are not labelled for the size of the individual socket that goes inside. Up to 22 sockets can fit in the tray, and you can put more shallow sockets on the deep side if that's what your work needs require.

Another unique take on a classic socket rail concept, this option from HORUSDY lets you use both sides of the rail so you can fit all three drive sizes on one single rail. Want a small kit for your motorcycle and one rail for your truck? No problem. Want a rail that is entirely 10mm sockets in every format imaginable so you're never without one (well, for a while, at least) and you can do that too.

These double-sided rails let you keep SAE and metric sockets separated or deep and shallow separated, keep six points and 12 points apart, or even have standard hex and e-Torx, triple square, or whatever other oddball sockets your vehicle needs in whatever combination works best for you. When it comes to tool storage, flexibility rules, and this offers you loads of it. Ball-bearing clips hold your sockets in place, although if you're planning on mounting the rails flat to a surface, the dual-sided capability can't really be used.

Don't want to clip your sockets into place, but still want a more secure hold than just a post? This magnetic socket holder kit lets you quickly and easily drop your sockets into the holder, where they'll stay held in place thanks to the magnetic base. Even better, the magnetic base keeps the socket holder itself fixed in place to your toolbox.

This option is rubberized to avoid scratches, so you could also stick the organizer to your jack, or whatever part of the vehicle you happen to be working around. The set is available in the three common drive sizes, and in SAE or metric, with the socket sizes labelled on each spot. If you want both types though, you'll need to purchase them separately as there isn't a kit for both. The holder works with both shallow and deep sockets, ensuring that shallow sockets don't fall into the holder beyond where your fingers can reach.

If you use a wheeled or stationary tool chest, then you probably don't need a fancy rail system. Instead, something that drops in your drawers and holds your sockets in place is all you need. That's what this offers, with six pieces that can hold up to 195 sockets in the drawers of your tool chest.

The organizer set comes with two each in small, medium, and large sizes, one set with metric tool markings and the other in SAE. While there are markings to separate six and 12 point, you don't need to follow those and could easily use them for whatever sockets you need to store. A small tray holds extensions, universal sockets, adaptors, swivels, or your other socket accessories where they're easy to find. Leg attachments included in the kit let you hold deep sockets as well, by raising the organizer so they fall securely into place.

Simple, basic, and easy to use, these do the job of holding all of your sockets without breaking the bank. Made from nickel-plated steel, they're designed to resist corrosion and can handle temperature extremes that can shatter plastic holders. They're lightweight, because your sockets are heavy enough already, and each socket rail comes with durable clips that can slide side to side or be removed from the rails entirely.

All three drive sizes come in this kit, and they have three mounting holes so they can be secured to a wall, board, or bench. The spring-like design of the clips is meant to hold each socket securely without requiring extra pieces like a ball bearing that can break or get stuck. All three rails are the same width so you can mix and match drive sizes as needed to get your ideal setup. The low price means you can add more rails as needed to hold full socket sets, you can also get a set with a rubberized handle for portability.

This tray is one of the most innovative we've seen. It's designed to hold your sockets, and to help you measure them if you can't read the labels on your sockets anymore, and it will also let you store all of your drive sizes in the same tray, with room for deep and shallow. Each slot has the similarly sized metric on one end and SAE on the other.

The hex-shaped simulated bolt lets you fit your sockets if the laser-etching or printing has long faded from their walls. Then you can store a shallow socket upright and one or more shallow or deep sockets on their sides. Because they're laying on their side, you can put all three drive sizes in the same tray to help make work easier. This is ideal for dropping into your tool chest drawers to keep everything well organized, even wobble sockets and other specialty sockets.

Why get a socket organizer?

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